1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to networking device configuration and more specifically to methods for network environment dependent configuration of devices.
2. Description of the Related Art
Configuration of networking devices is complex. This task is made even more complicated by the fact that the appropriate configuration settings are typically a function of the particular network environment in which the networking device finds itself. Today, the environment is appraised by an expert, a “network administrator,” and a configuration is custom-built for that particular device. Unfortunately, any lessons learned from a single particular device are today not easy to apply to any and all other devices that may share that particular environment—this is a side-effect of the fact that many pieces of today's configurations are “copy-and-pasted” from other devices.
Most networking device configurations today are built device-by-device, “full custom”, which is a very time-consuming process. Furthermore, even when that process has been completed, any changes that need to be propagated across many devices require that each device's configuration be individually modified.
Today's state of the art in configuration management often consists of “home-grown” scripts that assemble fractions of device configurations in unique combinations for each device according to that device's unique environment, as guided by a static rarely-changing input file describing those device contexts.
Today's solutions have no ability to adapt to the quickly changing environment of each device. Clearly, there is a need for more efficient ways for configuring devices in a network.